Force of Gravity
by mikoshiko
Summary: "I'll be taking this." He looked back and smirked at Bakugou before a black warp gate opened before him, stepping through. One last flick of brilliant green hit the shield and a loud crack rang through the building. Like glass, it shattered to a million pieces, gently falling to the floor. And just like that, she was gone.
1. Taken

Losing was not an option, neither was failure. Hell, 'loss' and 'fail' were never even a part of his vocabulary. They were terms Bakugou had no affiliation with, and he had no intention to acquaint himself anytime soon. He'd always been ahead of the game; his quirk control training started when it developed at the age of four. Physical training following shortly behind. He had no time to distract himself with anything asides from achieving his ultimate goal. And he met every goal with victory.

Not receiving his Provisional License in his first year was just a... test. Yeah, that's it. It was not a loss. It was a test that was enabled him to learn the what kinds of quirks those extras from Shiketsu had. The experience had even taught him a thing or two about how to further exceed his limits. Best of all, it was a chance to learn about IcyHot's weakness and, ultimately, eradicate his existence during their second year Sports Festival.

Hell, even acknowledging Deku had some sort of new strength was a victory for Bakugou. It didn't make him weak. Oh, no, quite the opposite. He found another reason to train until his veins were ready to burst from his arms to ensure absolute defeat on Deku's part. He would never let Deku take the spotlight. That twerp.

Whatever. Not that he posed as a threat. Well, maybe he did, but Bakugou would never - could never - admit that. Because Bakugou Katsuki didn't lose. He couldn't; especially since he was going to be the number one hero. Everyone thus far has been a stepping stone leading up to his throne at the top. But something just didn't sit right with him. It annoyed him immensely, actually. Totally pissed him off, to be specific. It was not a feeling of loss he was experiencing, he already ruled that out. He was flooded with an anger that he was not too familiar with, though, and that was what threw him off.

And Bakugou was a bundle of all sorts of anger. Yeah, he cooled off now that they were in their second year at U.A, but he absolutely still had a short fuse.

"That was great, Uraraka! Let's try it again!"

His brow twitched in annoyance. There was that feeling again that always followed right after hearing that fucker's voice. What was his name? Whatever, it didn't matter. Bakugou shrugged off the feeling and focused on the task at hand. The guy was just another extra he was inevitably going to blast out of existence. He didn't matter.

Until he heard her giggling.

His eyes shifted towards the all too familiar voice, glaring at the duo on the other side of Gym Gamma. He watched as Uraraka high-fived that quaking bastard from Ketsbutsu. He resisted the urge to gag when the idiot shot her a wink along with that filthy smile. Ugh. What was Aizawa thinking. Just because they were familiar with them from the Provisional License Exam last year doesn't mean they can teach them anything. They were defeated. They had nothing to offer. He totally fucked off to do his own thing and left these fuckwits "in charge" of the class.

Uraraka let out a squeak, and somehow Bakugou's glare increased atUraraka and Shindo as he placed his hands on her waist and tossed her weightless body above him. The fucker really seemed to enjoy how her hero costume clung to her every curve. It didn't help that she was exceptionally curvier than the girls in their clas-

"Uh, sorry to interrupt your lil' starefest," Camie's voice brought Bakugou's focus back to her. She stood with one hand on her hip and the other pointing at him accusingly. Right. He was partnered up with this nightmare. She wasn't as bad as half of the other idiots he's had to pair up with, but she was...she was like a female Kirishima. Except much worse.

Bakugou's brow twitched again and he growled. "I wasn't staring."

Uraraka's laugh brought his attention back over to her and that stupid fuck. Camie was suddenly right in front of him, clapping her hands loudly. "If you wanted to, like, be with him instead you coulda bounced, bro."

Bakugou clenched his fist, bringing it up in front of his face, tiny explosions crackling. He opened his mouth to tell her off, but she cut him off.

"-Unless," Without moving, she turned her head to look at Uraraka holding Shindo's hand in attempt to keep him upright while under her quirk's influence. "You were checkin' out that lil cutie with him."

That unusual anger filled Bakugou's chest and he snarled. He could feel his ears getting hot, but that was just because he was pissed off that they were wasting time.

Right?

"I was not staring!" He barked.

Camie laughed, poking his nose. "No worries, lil Bakubro, I dibs as wingman." He swung his arm at her, setting off an explosion. She continued laughing and dodged his attacks. Meanwhile, his anger bubbled like a geyser. "The fuck are you talking about?!" At this point, his outburst had they'd attracted an audience.

Kirishima stood laughing loudly, hands on his hips, with Yoarashi, the rest of class 2-A seemingly unphased by Bakugou's behaviour. The remainder of students from the other schools stared at the scene, exchanging concerned glances. "Nothing to worry about!" Sero smacked the back of one of the students. "At least you didn't get partnered with him!" They seemed to blanch at the statement. On the opposite side of the gym, Uraraka brought a green-faced Shindo back to the floor, releasing her quirk. He dropped right to his knees and heaved over. She smiled sheepishly at him, kneeling down beside him with a hand on his back.

"I told you the side effects weren't pretty." Shindo lifted his head and struggled to bring a smile to his face. "N-no kidding." She rubbed the back of her neck, almost feeling sorry.

"Let's get you something to drink. You'll get dehydrated otherwise." Shindo nodded weakly, bringing himself back to his feet. Stumbling, he grabbed her shoulder. Before she could steady him, a loud explosion went off, followed by a string of curses.

The corners of Uraraka's lips curled. She looked over to Bakugou throwing explosions to the girl from the provisional license exam. Camie, she believed was her name. She wasn't too familiar with her, but she seemed nice enough. Thinking back, she wasn't particularly fond of her at first, what with how she behaved around Deku. It was petty jealousy on her part. She was so caught up in what she thought was a crush, but turned out to be admiration. She wanted to be just like Deku. She wanted to be strong, to be courageous. And, just like everyone else, she was determined to be a great hero.

She glanced over to where Deku was sparring with Todoroki. She had her family to care for and, for a moment, she had her priorities out of whack. It had taken time, but once figuring out that her feelings for Deku had stemmed from admiration, she felt lighter. She no longer felt shy and awkward around him, but rather more confident. Another explosion brought her back to Bakugou's tantrum. She laughed lightly, impressed with how unphased Camie seemed with 'Lord Explosion Murder''s anger.

Bakugou was someone else that Uraraka admired. Ever since the All for One incident, she noticed Bakugou changing. He wasn't lashing out all the time and it seemed to take a bit more to set him off in BakuRage mode. They weren't exactly close, but it wasn't as if they weren't friends to some degree. More so, around him, she felt like she was an equal. Respected. Blergh.

The wretched sound tore her from her thoughts. She scrunched her nose and looked at poor Shindo, still green in the face, hanging off her shoulder.

"Whoops!" Uraraka wrapped her arm around him to actually help support him up. Shindo groaned with every step, making Uraraka feel even worse for not paying attention to him. Every so often, he would pause to raise his hand to his mouth. The feeling would subside, she assumed, when he lowered his hand and let out a sigh. They made it as far as the lockers before he dropped to the floor again to expel the last of his lunch. Uraraka reached into her pocket and pulled out a handkerchief that was in there for this exact reason. She could never be too careful. She bent at the knees, handing it to him apologetically. Having a quirk like his, though, she was surprised at how sick he was.

"Everything okay?" Kaminari called over from his spot against the wall next to the bathrooms, chugging from his water bottle. Mineta followed out close behind already a little too excited seeing Uraraka in such close proximity. Without looking up, Shindo finished wiping his mouth and gave a thumbs up.

"My quirk doesn't exactly make it easy to work with, sorry." Uraraka gave a small bow. "Let me grab you a drink." She pivoted, lightly jogging over to her bag by the back doors of the gym where the girls' lockers are. Mineta squealed with every sway of Uraraka's hips as she retreated. He animatedly smacked Shindo on the back repeatedly.

"You're so lucky! Just...just look at those hips. Her small waist." Drool dripped down to his chin and his fingers twitched in her direction. "The shape of her thighs. Just imagine being the one looking down at her under yo-"

BOOM.

Just as quickly as he appeared, Mineta was blasted into the bathroom door. Kaminari quickly wiped his own drool from his face and stared wide-eyed and terrified. Tiny crackles crawled up Bakugou's extended arm as he readied to let off another big explosion.

"Move outta my fucking way, dirtbag." He looked down to Shindo, who in return was glaring up at him from his position on the floor. "And you stop being so fucking useless."

Kaminari raised his hands defensively, waving them. "I'm innocent, man!" "Tch." Bakugou shoved his hands into his pockets and looked over to Uraraka out of the corner of his eyes. Sighing, he stomped back to where Camie was waiting. She was sporting an all-knowing smirk giving him a thumbs up.

Before Bakugou could flip her off there was another explosion.

This one wasn't him.

The back wall crumbled. Bricks and foundation blowing into the gym, the force of the explosion knocking everyone to the floor. Blue flames licked the walls and filled the room. Sunlight shone in through the gaping hole in the wall. Dust circling the debris parted as the flames rose to the top of the pile of bricks. Dabi emerged from the flames and stood at the top of the heap. He had that trademark shit-eating smile plastered on his face.

"Hello, Bakugou." The staples in his face stretch with every syllable that slid off his tongue.

Instincts screaming, Bakugou threw his hands behind him and used his explosions to propel forwards, letting out a feral growl. He was going to blast that fucker's face off.

As expected, Deku and Todoroki clearly had the same warning signals and immediately sprang into action. From behind Dabi, villains started pouring into the destroyed building. Before he could reach Dabi, another villain threw a small ball, releasing an enormous amount of light. Bakugou squinted his eyes, but it was impossible to see.

"Shit!"

He threw his hands to his front and let off explosions. Even in blindness, there had to be a chance of hitting the target. When the light died down, Bakugou's explosions hadn't hit someone, but rather something.

There were dents in what looked to be a wall of light. Bakugou's eyes widened. 'A forcefield.'

Sunlight reflected off of the invisible wall like glass, taunting Bakugou. He sat himself low, letting out a growl and began throwing explosions at Dabi. But there Dabi stood; untouched. His blue flames still coursing through the gym around the class as they fought off the flood of villains.

"Kacchan!" Deku appeared beside Bakugou at the forcefield with a flash of green light.

"Back off, Deku!" the name leaving his mouth laced with venom and his palms flashing bright orange. "He's mine!"

An earthquake suddenly rumbled throughout the gym. Bakugou dropped his hands down and fired himself upward, but the floor only fell apart on the opposite side of the wall. Dabi lost his balance and fell from the rubble. When the rumbling subsided, he landed back on his feet and his eyes searched wildly for the source.

Black hair swayed in the breeze coming in from outside of the gym. Shindo stood shakily in front of Dabi, slightly hunched over, obviously still recovering from the aftermath of Uraraka's quir-

Uraraka. Bakugou's red eyes darted around the side of the gym where Dabi and Shindo stood. Where could she be? She was just over there. Did she escape? Did she get blown back into the gym by the force of the explosion?

Bakugou's heart sank and anger flared as his eyes landed on bright pink lying among the rubble off to the side. Her costume was ripped along her legs and there was a huge gash in her back. Her back was facing him and her brown hair splayed across the floor, some strands soaking in a small pool of blood.

"U-Uraraka..."

Deku's stuttering voice broke through Bakugou's thoughts. Figures he'd find her at that same moment. Fire boiled in the pit of Bakugou's stomach as he took aim for Dabi's head through the lightscreen. He set off a series of explosions in hopes to break it down.

"Kacchan!" Deku's legs sparked green. "We need to think of a plan!"

"Tch."

He obviously knew that. He obviously knew they needed a way around this thing. He looked back at Uraraka before letting off another huge explosion. It annihilated the floor under the light shield.

"Th-that's it!" His eyes never left Uraraka as he nodded for Deku to continue.

"There's no light under the floor. It didn't pass through a solid object." Deku didn't need to finish that thought. Bakugou knew exactly what needed to be done.

He aimed his glowing hands to the bottom of the shield and began his assault on the floor. Green light flickered across Deku's entire body as he followed suit.

They paused when blue flames and a head of black hair smacked against the wall in front of them, sliding to the floor. Shindo slammed his hand to the floor to activate his quirk, but only a small crack appeared behind him under the shield. Flames consumed him once more before he slumped over, unconscious.

Dabi looked at Bakugou and Deku, satisfied with their struggle. He scratched the back of his head and mumbled. "Better make this quick." He shoved a hand in his pocket and made his way towards Uraraka.

Bakugou stopped his abuse on the screen, uncontrollable anger building up.

"Don't you fucking touch her!" Bakugou barked, pounding on the invisible shield with his fist separating them, firing off explosions with every hit.

Dabi ignored his shouts, reaching down and tangling his fingers in Uraraka's blood soaked hair. He took his other hand out of his pocket and hoisted her up over his shoulder by her waist.

"I'll be taking this." He looked back and smirked at Bakugou before a black warp gate opened before him, stepping through.

One last flick of brilliant green hit the shield and a loud crack rang through the building. Like glass, it shattered to a million pieces, gently falling to the floor.

And just like that, she was gone.

"URARAKA!"


	2. Lost

What happened in minutes felt like hours.

Mid-battle, black warp gates appeared all around gym gamma, easing the villains' escape. Blue flames vanished with the absence of Dabi. Todoroki's opponent was the last to jump through his portal, missing his flames by a hair. The final gate closed as the last light shard fell to the floor, its clanging was the loudest sound in the room.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Todoroki looked around to his classmates who were, surprisingly, unscathed. Everyone seemed just as stunned as he did. The Shiketsu and Ketsubutsu students, however, had blanched significantly. This was probably their first experience face-to-face with such a fearsome group of villains- it's bound to razzle them.

"Is everyone all right?!" Iida's voice bouncing off the walls brought Todoroki's attention to him. Iida swung his arms around sporadically as he checked on the shaken students. The damage to his armor was scarce; only a few notable scratches on his legs.

Todoroki, too, watched his classmates pull themselves back together and tend to one another. Everyone ensuring their classmates were safe. His eyes stopped on Yaomomo and she, too, was barely harmed- save for a tear along the waist of her costume.

The last year of training at U.A had definitely aided in developing and honing their skills exponentially, however, something seemed… off.

He stepped to Yaomomo as she was helping Jirou up to her feet. Her aux lobes retracted enough so they hung just above her shoulders. She was the first to voice what everyone was thinking.

"What the hell just happened?" She patted the dust off of her tights. Yaomomo shook her head in response, arms folded across her chest. She lifted one hand to her chin, pondering.

"I haven't the slightest idea. They suddenly appeared, and then," she turned to Todoroki. "They left just as quickly."

Todoroki nodded his head in understanding. The fight was too easy.

Kirishima emerged from the crowd, walking in line with Iida. They appeared to be taking a headcount of their classmates with how their index fingers, along with their eyes, scanned the building. The rest of class 2-A shuffled their way over to Todoroki to regroup.

Kaminari and Mineta were the last to make an appearance. They popped their heads out from behind the boys' lockers, equally as confused as everyone else. Mineta shook on his legs and stumbled out into the open. He held his head and looked up at Todoroki as he neared, his eyes seeking an answer.

Todoroki exhaled through his nose. It didn't look like they knew what had happened either. He looked back as his classmates grouped together and were now making their way to where he stood.

He turned his attention to the back of the gym where Bakugou and Camie had been sparring. The Shiketsu student was back on her feet, pushing her hands into her lower back as she stretched. Yoarashi was already marching towards her with a chain of concerned questions.

Bakugou.

The last he heard his name was when Midoriya, after sending a villain soaring into the ceiling, had taken off, stating he needed his help. The last he saw of Midoriya was when he bolted in a flash of green lightning to wherever the hothead was.

Heterochromatic eyes turned around to where the villains had leaked in. The enormous cavity in the wall stood eerie- jagged piping poking out arbitrarily from broken bricks; wires hanging loosely, sparking with every sway in the breeze. A single rock of foundation dropped to the mound of bricks that had accumulated from initial impact. The rock bounced off of a slab of cement and clinked among the fallen fragments that scattered the burnt floor.

Todoroki's eyes travelled down. Scattered burns tainted the broken concrete and danced along the walls. Multiple holes were spread across the floor from massive explosions. Shallow crevasses created random patterns throughout the entry. Atop a cracked piece of flooring was that Ketsubutsu student with the vibrating quirk. He was struggling to sit himself upright. His head was down, trying to push himself up by his forearm, and failing. His arms were shaking violently.

"Shindo!" Tatami, Todoroki recognized as the blonde girl with the telescopic quirk, ran over to help him up. Shikkui followed closely behind.

Based on Todoroki's knowledge from the provisional license exam, Shindo must've used his quirk's maximum force. The tremors were a direct result of that.

The shuffling of feet along the debris turned into the crunching of glass behind him, indicating the arrival of his classmates. Their chattering had dropped to quiet whispers. He could hear Ojiro asking Hagakure if she was able to stand on her own. How he was able to find her among the commotion, Todoroki would never know.

Todoroki's eyes swept from the Ketsubutsu students, along the rubble over to Midoriya. His breath hitched in his throat.

Something was wrong.

Midoriya stared straight ahead, wide-eyed. The usual emerald of his eyes were now dull, almost lifeless. His arms hanging loosely at his sides, his quivering lips slightly parted. Todoroki followed his gaze and his heart tightened. It felt as if it had dropped into his stomach.

Todoroki sucked in a cold, shaky breath, his eyes widening at the sight. Red boot prints littered the floor next to a dark, crimson liquid. Floating in it was an all too familiar shred of ripped pink material.

Mina's trembling voice stood out among the collective gasps behind him, her eyes welling up with thick tears.

"U-Uraraka?"

He looked to Bakugou, where he stood ominously still.

Everyone went silent.

* * *

Time stopped.

" _Oh my god…"_

His classmates' voices were a soft hum in the background.

Bakugou's jaw hung loosely from its hinges. His calloused hand still raised in a tight fist, ghosting where it was meant to make contact. All emotion had evaporated from his eyes as he exhaled the breath he didn't realize he was holding. His palms steamed with the twisting in his stomach. His thoughts were running wild as his chest grew heavier; shaking breaths becoming heaves.

" _Where's Uraraka?!"_

Loss.

" _Oh my god, she was bleeding!"_

An angry fire roared in the pit of his stomach, hungry for destruction. Each heavy breath bringing forth more heat. His face contorted into a lethal scowl, his eyes mad with rage.

" _She's gone!"_

Bakugou clenched his fists tightly, lowering his body, before throwing his hands behind him setting off massive explosions. He managed to blast himself as far as where Dabi once stood until he was bound by thick, white wraps.

Bakugou snapped his head around as Aizawa, followed by Midnight, Cementoss, Thirteen, and Present Mic, came into view.

They were too late. He needed to go. They were running out of time.

He thrashed wildly to free himself from the binding. His vile curses were muffled as Aizawa tightened his grip, advancing forwards, his eyes glowing with the activation of his quirk. Bakugou turned his attention back to the heap of bricks, where he was struggling to get to.

A flash of green and Deku stood before him. His eyes held the same frustration as Bakugou's.

Bakugou's crimson glare bore into Deku, daring him to stand in his way. Aizawa, now behind Bakugou, nodded to Deku and pulled roughly on his scarf, subduing him.

"There was nothing that could have been done." he stated, unblinking. He loosened his wraps from around Bakugou's mouth once he had grabbed his attention other teachers stood among the other students, assessing the situation. Cementoss surveyed the destruction of the building as Midnight and Present Mic questioned the students present.

He continued. "It is tragic that this happened, however," his eyes hardened with authority. "We will be the ones to deal with this."

He nodded to Present Mic, who was already in contact with and detailing the tragedy to the police.

Bakugou grabbed a fistful of the material from his face with an angry huff and yanked it down so it looped loosely under his collarbone. He opened his mouth to protest, but was interrupted.

"Kacchan."

Bakugou's breathing amplified, becoming more rapid. Why couldn't Deku just keep his goddamn mouth shut for once?

He grabbed Deku by the collar, bringing him up to eye level, their noses brushing. "Shut the _fuck_ up, Deku!" he spat.

His anger spiked. "Why didn't you fucking grab her?!"

"I tried!" His voice trembled, shouting back. "We both did! We did everything we could, but Aizawa-sensei is right!"

"So we're supposed to sit around doing dick-all?!" His voice was shaking as he was losing control of his anger.

Deku shook his head sadly, repeating himself. "We did all that we could. By the time we broke the barrier, it was too late."

Bakugou's eyes widened in realization.

That's right.

They were on the other side of that fucking invisible wall.

He snapped his head to where Shindo was swaying on his feet, still leaning on his classmates for support.

Failure.

With a flick of his wrist, Deku was tossed aside. Like a raging bull, Bakugou stormed over to them. He was about to fucking detonate.

Before anyone could register what was happening, the Ketsubutsu extras were shoved to the ground and Shindo was ripped from their hands. Just as quickly as Bakugou hauled him back to his feet by the black chest plates of his costume, he was knocked back down with a fist to his face.

" _Wait! Stop, Bakugou!"_

Shindo's head lolled back before he was, once again, pulled forward by his chest plates and met with a painful headbutt.

"You useless _fuck!_ " Shindo's eyes were wide with fear, blood trickling down his forehead.

Somewhere among the shouting horde, Camie whistled.

Bakugou was seething. He raised a hand willing for the activation of his quirk, but the action was cut short when Aizawa's wraps bound his hands together behind his back, halting his rampage.

Struggling to wriggle free, Bakugou's words dripped from his tongue like poison. "He was right fucking there! You let him fucking take her!"

An enormous wall of cement erupted from the ground between the two boys, both being thrown to the ground by the force of its rising. Aizawa was quick to grab Bakugou by his arms to properly subdue him. He pressed his knee to the middle of Bakugou's back, pushing him to the ground.

Aizawa's eyes glowed angrily. "I can understand your frustration, but this stops _now._ "

Bakugou's growls grew feral with his forehead pressed to the cold concrete. He could hear that blonde Ketsubutsu bitch whining, while her blueberry friend was accusing Bakugou of going too far. What they should be doing is praying and thanking Bakugou that he wasn't dead.

He didn't hear light footsteps cutting across the building and settling beside him.

"Young Bakugou."

Bakugou's rage dissipated at the small, all-powerful voice. He slowly adjusted his head to look up at the figure that stood beside him.

All Might.

He squatted down, Bakugou's eyes following his every movement. The former symbol of peace placed a weak hand on the teen's back. He offered a saddened smile, giving a light pat to his back. Bakugou bit the inside of his cheek, furrowing his brows. Even in a weakened state, every gesture of All Might's held such power.

His face hardened. "We will take care of this."

With his eyes still on Bakugou's, he called out, "Young Kirishima, Young Yaoyorozu."

Bright red spikes and a black ponytail bounced through the crowd of onlookers and rushed to their side. All Might looked to Aizawa, nodding. The teacher gave All Might an incredulous looking before turning to Bakugou, narrowing his eyes into a cold, stern glare. "Behave."

Bakugou's shoulders slumped to the concrete once he was released from his restraints. Releasing a breath he didn't realize he held, he pushed himself to his feet, shoving his hands into his pockets- fists still shaking.

All Might's eyes remained on Bakugou as he directed Kirishima. "Please see Young Bakugou to my office. I will be there shortly."

He looked to Yaomomo before nodding over to Shindo who was pinching the bridge of his nose to stop the bleeding. "Please escort the Ketsubutsu students to Recovery Girl's office."

"Everyone, return to the dorms." Aizawa grunted to his class. "As for Ketsubutsu and Shiketsu students; your teachers will arrive momentarily to bring you back to your campuses."

His classmates hesitantly retreated, stepping aside for Kirishima to lead Bakugou out. They warily glanced back at the ashen blonde, then to where Uraraka's blood had spilled.

Tsyuyu held an empty gaze. She understood exactly how Bakugou felt. She'd wanted to rush out immediately upon finding the scrap of Uraraka's uniform, but she couldn't. She knew better than to make rash decisions. They needed a plan. She sniffed sadly, turning away from the rubble trickling into the crimson liquid. "Ochako-chan…"

* * *

"Hey man," Kirishima stood in front of Bakugou. He was careful with his words, even the inflections in his voice. He wanted to comfort Bakugou, but he knew very well that his best friend was a volcano ready to erupt. He activated his quirk on his hand before placing it on Bakugou's shoulder. "Let's go."

Bakugou roughly shrugged his hand away without a word.

He balled his hands into fists, turning on his heel. He kept his head down as he stomped to the side entrance ahead of Kirishima.

Bakugou looked back to where Uraraka had disappeared through the portal, lazily tossed over Dabi's shoulder. She was within reach. Someone could have saved her.

 _He_ should have saved her.

The familiar smell of burnt sugar filled his senses as he began sweating again, his hands dripping with nitroglycerin. Tiny explosions sparked in his palms.

With loud roar and a heavy shake of his head, he threw his crackling hands down in frustration- detonating the ground around him.

"FUCK!"


	3. Glow

"Mnh."

Uraraka groaned through the pounding behind her eyes. Sighing heavily through her nose, she forced them open. Not that it made a difference, though, wherever she was, it was pitch black.

She struggled to swallow through the thick metallic taste that currently coated her tongue.

Blood.

Her head lolled forward to meet her hand, trying to massage the pain away but her hand didn't budge. Couldn't budge.

The dried blood that was beginning to scab a large gash on her shoulder went unnoticed.

Uraraka pulled again, unable to wiggle her fingers. A heavy weight hung from her arms behind her back. Her eyes widened. They were locked in a metal block, similar to what was used to confine Bakugou after the first year Sports Festival. She desperately tried to kick out her feet only to find they were in the same compromising position. She broke into a cold sweat as panic settled in.

What happened?

"Glad you could join us."

A bright light shone from behind. Uraraka pulled at her restraints, struggling to find the source of the disembodied voice.

Dabi chuckled as he stepped to her side, bending at the waist to speak into her ear. "The new recruits get a little… excited."

"W-"

A loud bang echoed off the walls as a rowdy group burst into the room. They were chanting and laughing aggressively, clearly still riding a high of more violent pursuits.

"Enjoy."

With that, Dabi winked and stood straight, stepping away from her to lean against the far wall.

"Oho~"

Uraraka snapped her head toward the new voice, her eyes widening and her breath catching in her throat. Before her stood a large man covered in countless grotesque scars. The light from behind Uraraka illuminated his dark brown hair and wild blue eyes, blazing with crazed excitement. His large canines were most prominent in the full display of his feral grin. "What do we have here?"

He roughly grabbed her by the chin, his calloused fingers squeezing her cheeks together.

"Looks like Dabi found a little lamb to play with." A figure from beyond the massive man spoke with a laugh.

"Which is surprising 'cause he's so useless!" Another villain hollered.

"Yeah, when was the last time he actually did anything successful?"

"Or productive?"

"How the hell did he even lift her?" The room erupted with laughter. "Yeah! With those string bean arms."

"Oi, shut up." Dabi called from his place on the wall where he stood with folded arms, unimpressed at the mockery.. He stood up straight and shoved his hands into his pockets, turning towards the only door in the room. "Take care of the next phase- get what you can and end it at that. I'll be back." With that, he left.

"I'll take the first crack at the girl." A husky voice announced from the wall opposite of Dabi's now abandoned post. From her restraints, she shifted her eyes to the owner of the sinister voice. The blood drained from Uraraka's features. There stood a man, not much older than her, with a perpetual frown on his face. His long raven hair that settled against the bandages wrapped around his forehead and left eye. He would have been quite handsome if not for the murderous appetite bearing down directly upon her.

Uraraka's eyes met his mossy green gaze and her blood ran cold. A sinister smirk ran across his face when her attention shifted to the red glow of his fingertips.

Each of these villains appeared more menacing than the one's she'd grown accustomed to. The ones she'd face before had been scary, but not like this. These "new recruits," as Dabi called them, had a distinctly sinister air about them. It was as if they had no real objective- just interested in the hunt.

"If anyone gets her first," the blue-eyed predator bellowed. He leaned in closer, squeezing her face harder in his grip, pulling her attention back to him as he turned her face in different directions for examination. His tightening hold squished her cheeks between her teeth. "-it's me."

A cold chill settled in her chest as her body quivered in response. The only muscle that could move was her beating heart. Uraraka struggled to draw breath. Her shoulders ached from the pull of the weight at her wrists and her ankles felt as though they were tearing from the pull of their iron lock.

"Now then, shall we begin?"

Uraraka froze, her thoughts running wild. Her laboured breathing intensified, pulling less and less air into her lungs. She would have collapsed to the floor if not for the grip on her face.

A small speck of red light appeared in her periphery. Behind it stood a small cluster of villains, the other stationed along the outer walls, watching. A lanky villain situated the object as the small light shone from onto a tripod.

Uraraka's eyes widened even further- she felt as though they were going to fall out of their sockets. A camera? Why was a camera here?

"What's a show without an audience?" The predator before her turned to look behind him. "We ready?"

"Should be good to go, boss!" The lanky villain saluted. "Connection test was successful."

Blue eyes shifted back to Uraraka, a chaotic grin rivalling their hysteria.

"~And action!" A red scaly villain swung his hand down, imitating a director. The villains laughed at the theatrical gesture.

"Welcome to our little show, UA." He stepped aside, using his hold on Uraraka's face to turn both her and the chair to face the camera. She squeaked out a painful moan.

"As you can see," the giant lowered his face beside hers, pulling her cheek to his, "we have a little something of yours. It's quite cute."

He turned to Uraraka and slid his tongue up her cheek before roughly letting go of her to walk around behind the chair. Tears began to sting Uraraka's eyes; a drizzle quickly threatening to flood. She couldn't let them see how much they affected her. She mustered up as much courage as she could, returning her best intimidating glare.

"W-what do you want?"

"Wuh-wuh-wuh," he mocked with a crooked grin as he caressed her dry cheek from behind. Uraraka shivered at his touch, causing the other villains to laugh loudly. "Not that I don't enjoy your company, but we're looking for someone else, as well."

His scarred hand trailed down to her jaw, drawing circles with his fingers. "How can we get to Bakugou Katsuki?"

Uraraka drew in a sharp breath through her nose, her lips a thin line. They're trying to get Bakugou again? Why?

His trailing fingers moved to her neck. "Answer."

She remained silent, averting her eyes from the camera and the villains that stood behind it. "You obviously know quite a bit about him." Papers were thrown at her face, drifting to the ground.

She squeezed her eyes shut as he grabbed a handful of her hair and pushed her head down. "Look."

Slowly opening her eyes, Uraraka gasped. Pictures of her and Bakugou together were scattered across the floor; on missions, during training, sparring outside as well as in gym gamma.

"You're with him often enough. Now talk."

Uraraka kept her silence. Biting down on the inside of her cheek, she attempted to control her chin's quivering, but to no avail.

"SPEAK." The villain had had enough. He tugged her head back harshly with his grip in her hair. He wrapped his fingers around her throat and squeezed. Uraraka gasped for air as the tears fell freely from her eyes like a broken dam. "Maybe I should rephrase. What are his weaknesses?"

"I-I don't know!" She choked out. He pulled her hair harder, tilting her head further down so the nape of her neck was pressed hard against the chair back.

A low growl escaped his throat. "Wrong answer." Uraraka let out a strangled scream, gagging on the saliva pooling in her at the base of her tongue. The villain loosened his grip from her throat as his palm glowed a light purple. With the activation of his quirk, a sword blade morphed from the bottom of his elbow and extended to his fingertips.

He held its sharp edge against her throat, his face parallel with hers as he looked down with a deranged grin.

"H-hey Hilt," the scaly villain stammered nervously. "I think that's enough."

Hilt's steel blue eyes darted to the other villain, the corners of his mouth curling further up, exaggerating his crazed smile. "I think it's just the right amount." He looked back to Uraraka and stomped on the iron block encasing her hands, knocking the chair, and her, to the floor. Uraraka wailed out when her back connected to the ground.

He jumped on top of her, holding his bladed hand under her chin while the other pressed to her forehead.

"N-No!" Uraraka shook her head violently, owlish eyes pleading for release. "Please! Don't!"

His smile grew with her pleas and he exhaled a shaky breath. "Turn it off." He demanded without breaking eye contact.

The villains exchanged worried looks. This clearly was not part of the plan. "I don't think-"

"I said turn it off!"

He leaned in close to Uraraka's face, their noses brushing. A dreadfully shrill scream left her lips as he poked the end of his blade into her skin. He spoke barely above a whisper, "You don't wanna talk? Then you can scream instead."

The small red light on the camera went dark as the broadcast ended.

Bright blue flames ignited between them, separating the blue eyed monster from Uraraka. "That's enough. That isn't what she's here for."

Flames continued to dance around Hilt, a cold glower on his face. "I had it."

Dabi rubbed the back of his head with a lazy sigh. "You had nothing. Get lost, I've got a mess to clean." He looked to Uraraka who was staring at him wide eyed as she choked out her sobs on the floor- a thin line of blood trickling down from her wound.

"Tch." The flames died down and Hilt took his leave with one last hungry glance at Uraraka.

"You idiots," Dabi turned to the rest of the group. "All you had to do was broadcast the hostage to coax that explosive brat out."

"We didn't think he would go so far." A small elvish villain protested. Another was quick to chime in. "Yeah, it wasn't supposed to happen like tha-"

"Well you thought wrong." Dabi stepped toward the wounded girl on the floor. He called back to his subordinates. "The Boss will be here soon, so I suggest pulling your heads outta your asses before he does."

Properly chastised, the villains filtered out of the room mumbling. Uraraka startled back in fear and thrashed wildly when Dabi bent down to her. "Don't touch me!" she choked wide eyed. Dabi sighed again. "Listen, I don't have time for this."

He grabbed the back of the chair under her head and arm rest to pull it - and her - back up. She pulled and tugged at her restraints, shouting profusely.

"Will you shut up?"

Some wobbling and accidental drops later, he had both sitting upright. She was surprisingly heavy- at least that's what he's going with. He looked to her ankles that had been crushed under the weight of the chair. His eyes trailed up to the small gash in her throat, then to the bruises on her face that took clear shape of fingers. He sighed.

Boss wasn't gonna like this.

Uraraka spun her head around frantically when he moved behind her, afraid of what was next. He held up a defensive hand while repeating himself. "Don't have time." Without warning he activated his quirk, burning off the binds around her ankles and freeing their hold on the chair.

As soon as Uraraka felt the weight drop she jumped to her feet, tucking into herself so the chair legs were aimed at Dabi. With a swift thrust backward she growled fiercly, hoping to connect.

Dabi, unphased, extended his foot and kicked the bottom of the chair as it came at him, sending her crashing unceremoniously to the floor. Uraraka groaned under the uncomfortable new weight of the large iron cuff resting on her lower back.

An exaggerated sigh; Dabi was in no mood for this. "Now look what you've done."

He stood above her, pulling the chair from under her encased hands and tossing it to the side. Dabi grabbed the crook of her elbows, hoisting her back up to her feet. "Pull something like that again and it won't be me you deal with."

She complied, cursing the sharp pain in her shoulder. Asides from the gash, there was a great purple welt- her shoulder had definitely dislocated. Dabi exasperatedly groaned; just something else he'd have to explain.

He spun her to face him so he could study her wounds. "This," he tilted her chin up with an index finger, "isn't too bad." Uraraka jerked herself away from him, the fear in her eyes betraying the deep scowl on her tear stained face.

"This, however..." He gripped her unharmed upper arm firmly. With the other he dropped the full force of his weight onto her dislocated shoulder to put it back into place. A loud pop echoed between the four walls, followed by Uraraka's agonizing cry.

"...is not."

A searing pain exploded from the joint, the entirety of her arm pulsing. Slowly, she regained sensation in her fingertips.

He set an emblazoned hand to the iron block, melting through its centre and manipulating its shape. Uraraka startled backwards. "Don't move," he warned. The iron settled into two enclosed cages; fitting her hands like winter mittens.

Uraraka lifted her encased hands curiously, examining the craftsmanship. If nothing else, the villain before her would make for a skilled metalworker.

"Let's go." She looked to her captor's receding back as he sauntered towards the exit. Before Uraraka had the chance to conjure up an escape route, Dabi monotonously cautioned. "Don't even think about it, Shortcake."

Uraraka's eyes flicked from her repaired shoulder to her imprisoned hands. She chewed her bottom lip frantically. If only she could figure a way out. She was running out of time. Who knows where he was taking her- or to whom. What could she possibly do?

Uraraka frowned down at ironclad hands. She'd been reduced to nothing but a helpless victim.

Some hero she was.

Releasing a shaky breath Uraraka conceded. "Where are we going?"

She shivered at the perverse grin tugging at Dabi's staples as he looked over his shoulder to her.

"To your cage."


	4. Rage

Beep. Beep. Beep…

Bakugou's brow twitched. The timed rhythm of the heart monitor followed the steady beat inside his chest, echoing throughout his head.

Beep. Beep. Beep…

The drumming of rain flood its way into his senses, joining the beeping monitors in pulling him out of unconsciousness.

A tired groan rumbled in the back of his throat as he fought his eyelids open. Tired scarlet eyes squinted through the sleep that still coated them in a fuzzy haze.

Beep. Beep. Beep…

Bakugou's spikes flattened, sheets rustling as he angled his head toward that irritating beeping. He cursed under his breath at the ache that pulsed at the nape of his neck. He trailed his eyes along the cord that connected the machine to his index finger.

He lifted the back of his palm to his face, twisting his hand as he examined the red light blinking under the clasp.

His eyes paused at his palm. It was darker in colour; seared, with barely visible fragments of ash lingering between fresh divets in his calloused flesh. Now that he was focused, he could almost taste the scent of gas and metal.

Beep. Beep...

Remnants of a recent battle.

Beep…

Uraraka.

Reality violently ripped Bakugou out of his daze, springing him up from his cot in - what he now recognized - Recovery Girl's dorm office. His memories came crashing back to the forefront of his mind. The last thing he remembered was his intent to kill that fucking Ketsubutsu idiot and leaving the training grounds of the gym with Kirishima.

Bakugou slapped his bruised hand at the base of his neck. After he had left, a fight broke out between him and Kirishima- he had insisted on going off to find where the League had taken off to, to which Kirishima objected. One thing led to another and connecting hall had been scorched.

What he had not anticipated was Aizawa-sensei intervening. As if materializing from thin air, in one motion their teacher had nullified their quirks and restrained them both with his bandages.

To cease Bakugou's thrashing, Aizawa-sensei had thwacked the nape of the neck with the back of his hand and immobilized him.

"Shit!"

Bakugou flung his bed sheets to the floor and jumped off the cot, roughly tearing the monitor clasp off his finger. Once he found and slipped into his shoes he burst through the office door and tore off down the hall like a bat out of hell.

The "Back in 15 Minutes" sign softly drifted to the floor in his wake.

The halls were silent. Rain pelted down harder from the blackened sky on each passing window pane. Bakugou clenched his fists, ignoring the burning ache in his palms as he pushed himself harder down the hallway.

Bakugou launched himself into the elevator, frantically mashing the Ground Level button until the lift came to an abrupt stop. He flew out between the steel doors before they had a chance to open. The main floor was equally as silent. An amber hue was already glowing from his worn palms, nitroglycerin sweat readily pooled for quirk activation.

Bakugou rounded the corner into the common area and skid to a complete stop.

The air in the common room was so brittle it could snap. Each one of his classmates had assembled. Not one of them turned their attention to his raucous entrance, instead keeping their eyes glued to the television against the far wall.

Kirishima's vibrant red hair came into view first. Bakugou made to march his way over and ask him what the hell was going on when he was abrupted two steps in; a gravelly baritone invading his senses.

"What's a show without an audience?"

He redirected his focus to the television screen.

Bakugou's blood ran cold. His heart felt as though it dropped into the pit of his stomach.

No.

There sat Uraraka. Bound to a chair being circled by a muscular villain. The girls gasped from their seats, holding each other's hands as the villain grabbed her face. Momo lifting her hand to her mouth as she watched in horror as his tongue slid up Uraraka's cheek.

Shoji, Ojiro and Sado sat on the couch in a similar silence, exchanging a few glances. Sado fists clenched and unclenched as he watched his friend being treated like vermin. The other two kept their attention on the screen, looking for any clues that might appear in regards to Uraraka's location.

Bakugou's breath caught in his throat when Uraraka spoke to the villain. She put up a brave front, but she wasn't fooling anyone. Especially not him.

A low growl escaped his throat as the villain mocked Uraraka, stroking her cheek. He felt his blood boiling, like lava coursing through his veins. Kirishima and Tokoyami released a similar feral growl, holding Mina as she turned from the screen to bury her face into his chest.

"How can we get to Bakugou Katsuki?"

Sero glanced over to where he stood, followed by a better half of their class.

No.

They already had him before. What did they want with him now? The better question being: what did Uraraka have to do with any of this?

He ground his teeth together, small sparks popping around his palm. They were doing this to Uraraka so they could get him? He was there in that same building, so they could have had their shot at snatching him, too. But not one of them made an effort to do that.

Why? This didn't make any sense.

"Look."

Everyone gasped as the large villain tugged at Uraraka's hair and shoved her forwards.

The sleeves of Hagakure's sweater rose to her face, assumingly covering her eyes like Koda was across from her. Beside her sat Jirou, leaning forward on her elbows resting on her knees. At her feet, Kaminari, Aoyama and Mineta sat with their mouths hanging open.

Todoroki sat between Deku and Iida, unmoving as the broadcast continued. Deku's frown increased with every passing second while Iida's clasped hands gripped tighter. The rage emanating off of Uraraka's three friends was almost tangible.

No.

Bakugou clenched his fists tightly upon seeing the spread of pictures with him and Uraraka together thrown in her face. He dug his fingers into his skin, producing small bubbles of blood when the villain grabbed Uraraka by the throat. The sparks in his hands popped louder with the addition of his blood, crackling violently as the screen displayed Uraraka choking on her saliva.

No.

Loud gasps filled the room as Uraraka's throat was met with a blade and she was kicked to the floor. Kaminari and Mineta paled. With a sudden lurch they slapped their hands to their mouths and ran off to the closest sink.

"N-No! Please! Don't!"

No.

Deku's grip tightened on his knee, his involuntary activation of his quirk sending green sparks dancing around his hand.

"Turn it off."

Across from him, Kirishima had also activated his quirk; his entire body coated in hardened armour.

"You don't wanna talk? Then you can scream instead."

"No!" Momo shrieked, covering her eyes and pressing her face into Tsu's shoulder.

The screen went black.

The water dripping from the kitchen faucet reverberated around the silent room. The raindrop outside were coming down in droves, becoming a living fabric; bending and twisting at the will of the wind.

"Oh, Ochako." Tsu's sniffles filled the silent air of the building. She pressed both large hands to her face and cried into her palms.

A gust of freezing wind filled the main floor as the glass doors swung open, the harsh winds banging it against the outer wall of the building.

A lone figure storming out into the torrential downpour.

* * *

"Now then." Dabi closed the steel barred door with a screech before it locked shut. He his hand to a scan pad on the wall. A bright blue light ran from the bottom of his palm to the tips of his fingers, flashing green after verifying identification. Static suddenly buzzed wildly around the metal cage as it was encased by electricity.

"Stay here and be good." Dabi's coat tail flipped as it picked up wind with the pivot of his heel. "I'll be back later with your dinner."

The clicks of his boots faded behind the weighted metal door dragging shut behind him.

Uraraka sat on a lone cot in her cage-like cell in the centre of the cold room. She curled her legs to her chest, wrapping her arms around her knees awkwardly and leaned back against the wall of bars. The metal rod behind her head sparked, eliciting a surprised "Ah!" from her as she lurched forward.

An exhausted sigh passed through her chapped lips. Uraraka placed herself at the edge of the thin mattress, resting her elbows on her knees and her head against the hard metal that encased her hands.

It was dark. The only source of light was supplied by the dimly lit lamp in the far corner of the room. Beside it sat a lone chair. She took a moment to appreciate the fact that it was empty. She shuddered at the thought of her so-called hosts returning. Though it was cold, dark, and the silence clawed at her throat, it was far better than being in their company.

It felt as though hours had passed; her heart pounding between her ears had been the only sound within the four concrete walls. She figured it had to be nightfall by now, but couldn't be certain with the lack of windows in the quiet space. She sighed inwardly. How did she get herself into this mess?

She brought her gaze to her tattered hero's uniform. It appeared as though she'd been put through a shredder.

"An actual hero wouldn't have been caught like that." She looked to the overhead bars humming with electricity as she recalled her capture. Uraraka scoffed. "So much for being a hero."

She tried to think back to the events in gym Gamma, but soon realized her memory proved useless. The last thing she could remember was walking back to Shindo, drink in hand to quell his nausea, watching Bakugou storming away from a burnt Mineta, and then the wall being engulfed by blue flames before crumbling to pieces.

Uraraka sighed again. If she were like Deku or Bakugou, she would have at least had a better reaction time. She would have concocted a plan on the spot, just like they do, and carry it out until they had claimed victory.

She smiled softly at the thought of Bakugou's usual plan being running rampant and detonating anything and everything in his path.

She wondered what he was doing now.

He is probably disappointed in me, she reflected. He had placed such high hopes in her since their fight during the sports festival and now what? She was held captive in gods-know-where and had no idea what she was supposed to do. There was nothing she could do.

She was grateful he was not there to see what they had already reduced her to. He would be so ashamed.

A rush of warmth flowed through her. She blinked back her pooling tears. "I'm so stupid."

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden tug at her arms. Her brow furrowed at her encased hands. Did they just get...heavier? Without a second to ponder the question, the humming in the cage grew louder. Uraraka looked up in confusion before her hands were tugged down again, pulling her gaze back with them.

There was a second thunderous hit against the concrete door. The iron clasped around her hands started vibrating. Her breath caught in her throat as it intensified, her eyes darting between her hands and the dust dancing in the orange light of the room that fell from the door frame. The concrete swung open and hit the adjacent wall. The weight in her hands tripled and pulled her down face first from the cot.

A large figure stomped into the room, their hoarse laughter bouncing off the walls as she laid there with her cheek pressed harshly to the cold floor. "Looks like you're having fun in here."

Uraraka's blood running cold as she stared wide-eyed at messy walnut coloured hair and sharpened fangs approaching her cell. She struggled harder against the weight of her arms in a frenzy. The concrete below her cuffs crumbled under another increase of weight.

Uraraka was paralyzed in horror as a head of raven hair stepped out from behind Hilt's massive frame. His lone visible eye bore holes into her with every advancing step. His menacing aura grabbing a hold of her in a tight, unrelenting grip.

Time stopped.

She felt utterly vulnerable; naked under his intense gaze. The fine hairs on the back of her neck rose. If she had access to her hands, she was certain they would be trembling. There was something about him, something eerily different, that separated him from the other villains she had come into contact with.

"Now, now. We've already been acquainted. No need to act so surprised seeing us." Hilt's baritone pulled Uraraka out of her trance. He now stood beside her, towering over her slumped form. She must have missed his movement while in her hypnotized state. Instinct finally kicked in as she lifted and swung her body away from him, around to the other side of her weighted hands.

Hilt grinned down at her, lowering himself to a squat so they were at eye level. "Come on, don't be like that."

Uraraka's breathing became rapid and shallow, struggling to take in oxygen. With her undivided attention on Hilt's sneering grin, she missed the lamp flickering in the corner.

He lifted his hand from his side, reaching for her. The room went dark.

Panic pulsed through her veins as silence filled the air. She could only hear her ragged breathing as she tugged wildly at her grounded hands.

"That's enough." Uraraka's head whipped towards the unfamiliar, smooth baritone in the darkness. Faint approaching footfalls joined the silence.

Without warning, the lamp burst back to life, this time illuminating the entire room in a white light. Uraraka blinked harshly, momentarily blinded by the return of light. She could only make out a blurred silhouette while her eyes adjusted. From the corner of her eye was another blurred figure. She startled back, recognizing Hilt's brown hair. He, however, did not make any further advances after the blackout- his outstretched hand seemed to have paused, frozen in place just centimeters from her face. His own read frustration and… was that fear?

"My apologies." Her attention snapped back to the voice from the door. The slight return of her vision provided a tall, lean man smiling down at her.

"There's no need to be afraid," he reassured in a honeyed voice.

His golden eyes matched the fine pinstriping of his charcoal suit. Slicked back burgundy hair glistened in the white light of the room.

"He's only here as a… precaution, you could say." She stole a glance at Hilt, who had lowered his hand - and his head - upon the arrival of this well-dressed visitor.

The raven haired boy stepped aside for the man to step to her. Uraraka's eyes traveled down to the clicking heels of expensive, brown leather shoes on the floor, stopping where she sat.

"Release her binds." The weight instantly lifted from Uraraka's hands.

The suited man bent down, gently wrapping his thin fingers around her upper arm and hoisted her back to her feet, brushing her hair behind her ear with his free hand. "Please do understand that these cuffs are also a precautionary measure."

He motioned to the edge of her cot, "Please, have a seat." Uraraka cautiously followed his guiding hand and returned to her spot on the mattress.

"And you..." His unwavering smile and gaze remained on Uraraka, though he was referring to Hilt. Hilt removed himself from the cramped cage and joined the other boy next to the door with haste.

"Now then." he continued, sitting next to her. "My name is Hideaki. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Uraraka."

She stiffened at the sound of her name. How did he know her name? Who was this man?

Hideaki held up a dismissive hand."No need to be alarmed. I am aware of all company in my domain."

If he was trying to soothe her, he was failing miserably. "I must apologize for the barbaric behaviour demonstrated by my colleagues. They must not be accustomed to having such lovely guests."

A shiver traveled up Uraraka's spine. Hideaki placed a hand on the metal cuff. "I do have some questions I would like to ask, but I merely want to have a conversation with you. Is that all right?"

He proceeded without a response. "You are aware that you are currently in the company of the League of Villains, correct?"

She nodded, his eyes smiled along with his toothy grin. "Wonderful. Then there is no need to catch you up on history and past affiliations. I am the current leader of the League. My objectives do not align with the previous head's methods, though our intentions prove similar.

My primary goal is to reform these miscreants into proper functioning citizens. That doesn't seem to bad, now, does it?"

A cold lump settled in the pit of her stomach. She did not like where this was going. She exhaled a shaky breath through her nose and offered a slight nod, indicating that she was following.

"Now, in order to do this, though I hate to admit it, I require some assistance." Though his smile remained, his eyes steeled and pierced deeply into hers. He spoke through a convincing smile.

"We are seeking out powerful, unusual quirks at this time. Are you aware of any that particularly stand out? At school, perhaps?"

Uraraka bit her inner cheek. The lump in her stomach felt like it was twisting and rising higher, settling in her chest. Hideaki appeared unphased by her silence.

"A conversation goes both ways, Miss Uraraka. You will need to make a contribution at some point." He adjusted his position on the cot, crossing one leg over the other and leaning closer.

"How about I let you in on a little secret, hm?" Uraraka nervously nodded. Hideaki's smile grew.

"I am in search of the power of the stars. Their phenomena have been observed in distant galaxies for many years. It is truly incredible what the universe is capable of.

My objective is to recreate that mass of energy. In order to acquire this, however, I require the assistance of certain quirks, you see. Specifically those which possess the power of manipulation and destruction."

She broke out into a cold sweat, sending a shiver up her spine. A familiar sting of acid rose up her throat and settled itself on the back of her tongue.

"If my theory is correct, once combined with my quirks I will be able to utilize this raw power. Though I cannot provide you with details, I can confirm that, through my years of studies, it is, in fact, possible.

"T-that's impossible!"

Hideaki looked to her with crazed eyes; a manic smile stretched across his face.

"Oh, but it's not!" He rose to his feet, maintaining eye contact and clenching his hands into excited fists.

"I will one day hold it within my grasp. I will save the people from their sins and call for the absolute reformation of this world."

The lump from Uraraka's stomach lodged itself in her throat. She watched as Hideaki's hands began quivering. He brought his gaze down from her and to his trembling fingers, knitting his brows. She noticed his teeth clench before pressing his lips into a hard line.

"I can help," he spoke to his hands. "I will help. But I cannot accomplish this without some answers." His exuberant golden eyes had dulled, turning cold and hardening as he looked down his nose at her. "What makes that explosive boy tick?"

Uraraka's eyes widened at his sudden shift in demeanor. "W-what?" Bakugou again?

"I will not repeat myself. My colleagues had their opportunity to retrieve him today and failed. You will tell me his weaknesses to ensure this does not happen a second time."

Hideaki adjusted his posture and brushed off his suit, straightening out the sleeves and tinkering with their golden cuffs.

Uraraka struggled to swallow the lump that had crawled up her throat. No. this couldn't be right. They had already had him as a hostage to lure All Might out. Why would they possibly need him agai-

Her mouth fell open recalling his words. Destruction.

"If you do not wish to answer," he gestured over his shoulder to the dark haired boy standing with Hilt. "Kell, here, will have to properly introduce himself to you."

"I-I told them I don't know anything!"

His face settled into a deep frown. "Very well." With the pivot of his foot, he stepped out from the cage. "I am quite finished with our conversation here, Miss Uraraka. I must take my leave now."

Her heart was pounding wildly against her ribcage and her body began shaking involuntarily. She heard the snap of fingers and her locked hands pressed uncomfortably into her legs.

"W-wait! I really don't know anything!" She struggled against the returned weight of her iron cuffs.

"I am truly sorry."

No.

"But you were given your opportunity. Now, please, do enjoy the rest of your stay."

He retreated to the concrete door, pausing to nod to Kell before taking his leave. The light in the room dimmed to a dull orange hue.

Uraraka's breath caught in her throat when Kell faced her. Hilt was the first to move, stomping around him and entering Uraraka's prison. The cuffs became unbearably heavy.

No.

He settled for a position beside the cot, roughly grabbing her shoulders. Once he moved aside, he unveiled Kell's smaller form entering the cage door, lifting the bandages from his left eye.

His eye was completely black- devoid of all colour. The tips of his fingers began glowing scarlet and he pressed one against centre of his eye. Almost like the flick of a switch, a similar red dot appeared where he had pressed, circling around where a pupil would be with - what appeared to be - ancient text.

"Haven't seen you use that since we had that run in with that professor."

Kell chuckled lightly at Hilt's comment, flexing his fingers as the colour intensified. He finally spoke, and his voice was exactly how Uraraka had imagined it would be. Cold. Callous. Monotonous.

"I don't typically enjoy using this method- it makes me tired."

The text in his eye continued to swirl. "It's needed, though, when the Boss wants me to do this kind of work."

He looked to Uraraka and smirked. "For precision."

She frantically kicked her legs under the weight of her clasped hands. With Hilt's added weight on her shoulders, she did not budge.

She could not escape.

The tip of his middle finger absorbed the colour from his other fingertips, morphing into a vibrant magenta. The text in his eye stilled, then rotated rapidly as it was silently activated. Kell knit his brows together, closing his emerald eye.

He pressed his finger to the centre of her chest.

Uraraka gasped wide-eyed and violently shook her head.

"Cauterize."

* * *

Again.

Rain poured down around him with a roar. Thick icy sheets of water shrouded his vision as the blistering winds pelted drops of rain against his pale skin.

It was him again.

Drenched clothes clung tightly to his weakened posture as he strode through the night.

First All Might, now Uraraka.

He dug his fingernails into his soaked palms. The chaos in his mind mirrored the rage in the skies above.

They had her. They took her from him. What did they want with her?

His pace quickened when his name pierced through the storm, ignoring the desperate pleas.

"Bakugou, wait!"

Why didn't they just take him- he was right there. An ache rippled through his jaw as Bakugou grit his teeth tighter. Who took those pictures of them together? He never detected any signs of malice or suspicious behaviour when he was with her. Not once.

Was he so distracted while in her presence that his senses faltered and ultimately failed him?

"Come on man, stop!"

Failed them?

"Bakugou!"

Failed her.

A hard, cold hand barely grazed his shoulder before Bakugou grabbed it, spun around and threw it off of him with a feral growl.

"Stop fucking following me!"

Kirishima withdrew his hardened hand- a quick reflex he'd developed in his time knowing the explosive blonde.

"Where do you think you're going?"

His question was met with silence as Bakugou turned on his heel and continued forward.

"Come on man! Where are you going?"

Bakugou scowled, his balled fists swinging angrily with every stomp. Kirishima's volume increased over the shower of rain as he followed behind, using his hardened arm in an attempt to block the piercing rain.

"You can't go out into this storm on your own."

Silence.

"Aizawa-sensei is holding an emergency meeting and giving us updates, we have to go bac-"

"Fuck off!" Bakugou snapped, turning to face his friend. "You can all hug around the couches and do dick all listening to updates, but I'm going to find her."

Kirishima's features softened, pressing his lips tightly together at the mention of Uraraka. He knew how Bakugou felt about her, and vice versa. He had spent the better half of their school year sitting in on shared lunches and awkward conversations. Bakugou may think otherwise, but Kirishima was much more observant than he was credited for. Neither Bakugou nor Uraraka noticed it, but he had known for a long time that there was something beyond friendship blossoming between them.

Of course everyone feels the impact of her kidnapping, especially after the broadcast, but he knows that this travesty with the League has caused the most damage to Bakugou. It was tearing him apart.

A crack of white lightning ripped through the graphite sky, casting inky shadows on the two young men. Bakugou straightened his posture, his voice thick with conviction.

"I'm going to fucking find her and bring her back."

As much as Kirishima wanted to go beat those villains to a pulp, he had to think rationally. The school board was conjuring a plan to counter their attack and recruiting heroes from across the country to deal with the resurgence of the League.

Thunder boomed above them.

What chance would he and Bakugou stand against this new League if their teachers were recruiting aid from other provincial districts?

"You can't do this alone."

"Like hell I can't!"

"I'm serious!" Kirishima shouted over the storm. "There were League members we've never even seen before. You don't have any information on them- how do you plan to counter that?"

Bakugou's face hardened as the image of that blue eyed villain choking out Uraraka resurfaced. If the rain hadn't washed the sweat off of his body he would be lighting up the streets like the Fourth of July.

"Come on, man." Kirishima cautioned, standing almost a foot away. "We can figure something out. Collectively. So come back with-"

"I don't need any fucking collective help. Go back to the dorms with your bullshit." He turned his back to Kirishima. "You're wasting time."

Kirishima stretched a hardened hand out toward Bakugou's retreating back. His worried his bottom lip as a war waged on with him and his conscience. He knew how badly Bakugou wanted to go find Uraraka and tear those villains apart. How, though he would never admit it, his friend was suffering inside. He wanted to keep him safe, but also respected his intent.

Kirishima nodded to himself. There was absolutely no way in hell he was going to let Bakugou go off and basically sign his death wish. He was his best friend and, though he definitely did not agree with everything Bakugou decided to do, he would always have his back. Regardless of the situation and, evidently, the dangers of it.

He inhaled deeply, not fully prepared for the repercussions of what he was doing.

"Then let me go with you." Bakugou paused and scoffed over his shoulder.

"The fuck was that?"

"I said I'll go with you. We can save Uraraka together," Kirishima ignored Bakugou's wince at the mention of her name. "It's better than you going off on your own. But we need to make a plan first- a proper one. We can run in guns-a-blazin' if that's what you want, but just don't do it alone."

"There will be none of that."

Both Kirishima and Bakugou froze instantly. The words came as a smooth croak, yet held the authority of a king. Their mouths were agape as they stared slack-jawed at the thin figure withstanding the forces of nature before them.

"Young Bakugou, Young Kirishima. You are both to return to the dorms."

Shit, Bakugou cursed to himself. He had hoped to leave district grounds before anyone would notice. Fuckin' Hair for Brains delayed him. He stood strong and slipped his hands into his wet trouser pockets.

All Might's wet boots splashed through the deep puddles that had formed in the dips of pavement. His steps halted at an arm's reach from the boys.

"Immediately."

"I'm not going back."

Kirishima stared dumbfounded at Bakugou's defiance. Did...did he just refuse a direct order from All Might? Yeah, okay, sure, that particular response was not unusual for the hot-head... but to All Might? In front of his face?

The very man he held on a pedestal that he did not think anyone else knew of?

That same All Might?

Bakugou cast his gaze aside, unable to meet the mighty hero.

"Young Kirishima," Kirishima braced himself for a scolding. He was the first to notice Bakugou had kicked his way out the front door and took off after him without hesitation. He had deliberately ignored Aizawa-sensei's calls to return. "You will return to the dorms. Ectoplasm is waiting up ahead to escort you."

Kirishima lowered his head. His dampened spikes now fell loosely around his face. "Yes, sir."

With one last glance over to Bakugou, Kirishima offered a sad smile and retreated towards Heights Alliance. All Might followed Kirishima's silhouette, angling his head to Bakugou when he recognized Ectoplasm's joining him in the distance.

Thunder grumbled behind swirling black clouds. Lightning forked to the ground not far from where the pro hero and aspiring hero stood.

"Young Bakugou, I understand your want in taking immediate action. However, the best course of action at this moment is to ensure the safety of the students. And that includes you."

Bakugou glowered at his rain soaked boots, his fists shaking with pent up rage.

"How can you expect to save someone if you cannot ensure your own safety?"

"How can you expect me to just sit around while they're doing gods-know-what to her? Isn't that part of being a fucking hero?!"

All Might's eyes widened, softening in understanding in the same moment.

"Part of being a Hero is also assessing the situation and having a strategy. We do not know where they are located. We cannot infiltrate a base if we have no data on the League.

We are currently in the midst of devising a strategy that will ensure the safety of our students, the city, and the safe, successful retrieval of Young Uraraka."

All Might noticed Bakugou's involuntary flinch at her name. His heart ached for his student. Having saved Bakugou from the League previously, he knew this pained him differently.

"Someone has to get her!"

"And we will. But right now you need to come back with me-"

"No!" Bakugou interjected. "She's by herself and terrified!"

All Might paused as the building pressure of Bakugou's emotions took control. Bakugou raged on with the storm; his hands fisted and arms flailing.

"I have to get her." he choked out through his teeth. The showers of rain masked the sheen forming over his eyes as he shook. "You don't know what it's like in there!"

Breath caught in the pro hero's throat. The steady flow of Bakugou's bellowing lost structure as other emotions rose to the surface. His gestures ceased and he dropped his fists to his sides.

"I have to get Ochako."

All Might placed a weak hand on the blonde's shoulder and pulled him to his chest. He tightly wrapped his arms around the boy's shuddering form as he spoke softly.

"You could not have prevented this."

Bakugou stood in stunned silence, his body rigid against his teacher. All Might pulled him in closer. Bakugou put up a brave front, but he was still just a teenager- a teenager with big emotions. He was not in the least bit surprised that the boy blamed himself. The pro hero was aware of how close he and Uraraka had become; how protective he had become of her. He could only imagine the thoughts swirling through the teen's head: the rage; the regret. This was one of the greatest struggles in being a hero: just because were present does not guarantee that you could have done something.

It was not his fault.

Bakugou released a trembling breath. Tucking his chin to his chest, he pressed his forehead against All Might's thin frame.

"I promise you, Young Bakugou." The heavy rainfall quashed a hefty puff of white smoke. All Might pressed an enlarged hand atop soaked blonde spikes and tightened his hold on Bakugou with an overly muscular arm. "We will get her back."

Bakugou could no longer control his dammed emotions. It was overflowing, bursting open and flooding into every crevice of his being.

The hammering rain echoed as the winds carried a guttural howl into the night.


End file.
